Low-dimensional approach to pair production in an oscillating electric field: Application to bandgap graphene layers

TL;DR

This paper models particle-antiparticle pair production in oscillating electric fields, applying quantum kinetic equations to bandgap graphene layers, revealing similarities to the Schwinger effect in a condensed matter context.

Contribution

It develops a low-dimensional quantum kinetic framework for pair production and applies it to bandgap graphene, bridging quantum field theory and condensed matter physics.

Findings

Pair production in graphene under oscillating fields resembles Schwinger effect.

Derived equations in 2+1 dimensions for condensed matter systems.

Calculated particle-hole distribution functions in graphene.

Abstract

The production of particle-antiparticle pairs from the quantum field theoretic ground state in the presence of an external electric field is studied. Starting with the quantum kinetic Boltzmann-Vlasov equation in four-dimensional spacetime, we obtain the corresponding equations in lower dimensionalities by way of spatial compactification. Our outcomes in $2+1$-dimensions are applied to bandgap graphene layers, where the charge carriers have the particular property of behaving like light massive Dirac fermions. We calculate the single-particle distribution function for the case of an electric field oscillating in time and show that the creation of particle-hole pairs in this condensed matter system closely resembles electron-positron pair production by the Schwinger effect.